Potato-digger.



No. 810,765. PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906.

J. JOHENGEN & E. A. FEDICK.

POTATO BIGGER.

APPLIOATION FILED DEO.21,1904

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iiia rneys No. 810,765 PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906. J. JOHENGEN & E. A. FBDIOK POTATO BIGGER.

' APPLICATION FILED DEC.21,1904.

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v UNITED STATES PATENT oFFioE;

i POTATO-IDIGGEFII.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented Jan. 23,1906;

Application filed December 21,1904. Serial lie. 237,759.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, J AOOB J OHENGEN and EDWARD A. FEDIOK, citizens of the United States,residing at Hamburg, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Potato- This invention relates to'potato-diggers of that kind having a plow or" scoop which is drawn through the ground and a vibrating or shaking separator which is arranged in rear of the plow and receives the potatoes, earth, vines, and rubbish from the plow and;

by its action separates the eart'h,'vine's, and rubbish from the potatoes and feeds the potatoes and vines rearwardly, dropping them on the ground over its rear end.

The invention .is directed moreparticularly to improvements in the construction of the vibrating or shaking separator.

One object of the invention'is to provide a shaking separator which will operate efii- I -ciently to separate the potatoes from the earth and rubbish with the minimum draft in either light, loose, or sandy soil or in heavy, wet, or clayey soil.

Another object of the invention is to provide a separator of simple and strong construction having provision for holding the vines up off of the separating-surface, whereby a more ready separation of the potatoes and earth is effected. I In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a portion of'a potato-digger provided with-a separator embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the separator, showing it in a different position.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation of the separator. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional elevation, on an enlarged scale, showing the manner of connecting the front end of the separator and its swinging supporting-links. Fig. 5-is a plan view, partly in section, of the separator and plow. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a separator provided with vine-holding fingers. Fig. 7 is a plan view, partly in section, of the separator shown in Fig. 6.

Like letters of reference in the several figures. 1 -A represents the plow or scoop', which is supported in any usual or suitable manner from the main frame a of the machine, and

refer to like parts Diggers, of which the following is a specifica-.

B represents the separator, whichis arranged 1n rear of the plow inposition to receive the potatoes, earth,"vines, and rubbish ther from. The separator is hung from the main frame on swinging links C, located atopposite sides of its front 'end,'a nd chains 1), located at suitable means. Theseparator is shaken or vibrated by suitablemeanasuch aspitmen E, connecting'opposite sides of its front end with crank-wheels e on a shaft e, which is journaled in the mainframe and is driven from the ground-wheels of the mac ine by suitable gearing c Only one of the crankwheels is shown in the drawings. The separator comprises a frame having longitudilocated, respectively, at the front end and in termediate portions of the separator-frame, and front and rear sets of longitudinal spaced tines 'or separating -bars, shown at G G,

"opposite s'idesof its'rear endl The separator 1 may be 'movably' supported by any other nal 'Sid'e bars f, connected by ci'oss-btljs'ff 1 i respectively. The front tines are rigidly I attached at their front ends in any desired manner "to the front cross barf separator and'terminate at their rear ends over and some little distance above the ends ofthe rear tines. The rear tines' are spaced farther apart than the front tines and are rigidly attached at their front'ends in any suitable manner to the intermediate cr ssfbar f 2 of the separator." Preferably the front cross-bar of the separator is mounted to rock on the side bars of the separatorfraine"and is fixed to the lower ends of. the swinging links 0, so that a'sthe' separator is moved back andiforthby its operatingmechanism the front cross-bar is rocked and the front tines G, which are fixed thereto, are vibrated up and down, as'indi'cated' by the full and dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 21 In the con; struction shown this is accomplished pro viding the ends of thefront cross-bar with journals h, which bear and turn freely in holes in the side bars of "the separator-frame and have square ends it fitted in correspond: ingly-shaped holes in the lower ends ofthe swinging links. (SeeFig. 4.) v

The operation of the separator is as follows Itis constantly reciprocated' or vibrated toward and from the'plow and agitates and works rearwardly the earth, vines, and pota}, toes which it receives fromthe'pl'ow. Ifth e digger is operating in loose, fine, or sandy soil, the complete or nearly complete separation is efiected by the relatively close front upwardly and preferably having their rear tines G, the soil falling through between the tines, while the potatoes, vines, and rubbish pass rearwardly and drop onto the rear tines G, from which the potatoes are dropped either between the tines or over their rear ends, depending on the size of the potatoes on top of the loosened ground. Little power is required to operate a separator thus constructed, because the separation is nearly V completed on the short front tines G, and the more widely spaced rear tines G permit the small potatoes, stones, and soil which were not separated by the front tines to fall between them, thereby greatly reducing the weight of material on the separator. In working in wet and clayey ground the front tines G only separate the small loose particles of soil from the potatoes; but the clods and lumps of soil are broken up as they fall with the potatoes from the front tines onto the rear tines G, and the latter then act to thoroughly separate all of the soil from the potatoes. The up and down vibration of the front tines also materially aids in breaking up the heavy soil and lumps, and so prep ares the material for ready separation by the rear tines.

The separator described is strong and rigid, as the tines are relatively short, while the separating-surface as a whole is of considerable length. Where long tines are fixed only at their front ends, their rear ends are liable to spring and vibrate to a degree detrimental to efficient separation, and it is not ordinarily feasible to brace the tines between their ends by a cross-bar, as the vines and weeds will catch on the cross-bar and interfere with the rearward movement of the material on the separator. In the construction herein disclosed, however, the rear ends of the front tines are elevated sufficiently above the intermediate bar f 2 to allow the vines and weeds to pass over the latter without catchmg.

In the separator shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the relative arrangement of the front and rear I sets of tines G2 and G is similar to that in the separator above described, except that the front cross-bar and tines do not rock or oscillate vertically, but are held stationary on the shaking separatorframe. The separator shown in these Figs. 6 and 7 is also provided with vine-holding fingers I for holding the ends deflected or turned laterally. These vine-holding fingers I hold the vines and weeds up off of the rear tines, so as not to interfere with the separation of the potatoes from the soil and deliver the vines and weeds to one side of the machine.

The separator shown in Figs. 1 to 5 could also have vine-fingers secured to its fixed cross-bar.

We claim as our invention- 1. A shaking separator for potato-diggers provided with longitudinal spaced separating-tines arranged in two sets, one in advance of the other, the tines of the front set being arranged nearer together than those of the rear set and having their rear ends elevated above the front ends of the rear tines, substantially as set forth.

2. A shaking separator for potato-diggers comprising a single rigid frame, and longitudinal spaced separating-tines supported by said frame and arranged in two sets, one in advance of the other, the tines of the front set being arranged nearer together than those of the rear set and having their ends elevated above the front ends of the rear tines, substantially as set forth.

3. In a potato-digger, a shaking separator comprising longitudinal spaced separatingtines arranged in two sets, one in advance of the other, the tines of the rear set being spaced farther apart than those of the front set and extending forwardly beneath therear ends of the front tines, a single rigid frame supporting both sets of separating-tines, and means i for shaking said frame, substantially as set forth. I

4. The combination of a separator for po-. tato-diggers having longitudinal spaced separating-tines arranged in two sets, one in advance of the other, the tines of the rear set being fixed to said separator, means for vibrating said separator, and means for rocking said front set of tines in addition to their movement with the separator, substantially as set forth.

5. In a potato-digger, the combination of a rigid frame having a front cross-bar and a cross-bar intermediate of its ends, a set of longitudinal spaced separating-tines secured to and extending rearwardly from each crossbar, the tines of the front set being spaced nearer together than those of the rear set and having their front ends elevated above the front ends of the rear tines, and means for shaking said separator in a forward and rearward direction, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a separator for pctato-diggers having longitudinal spaced separating-tines arranged in two sets, one in advance of the other, the tines of said rear set being fixed to said separator and spaced farther apart than the tines of the front set, means for vibrating said separator, and means for rocking said front set of tines in addition to their movement with the separator, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of a separator-frame, longitudinal spaced separating-tines carried thereby and arranged in two sets, one in advance of the other, the tines of the rear set being fixed to the separator-frame and the tines of the front set being mounted thereon to oscillate vertically, means for vibrating said separator, and means for oscillating said front set of tines, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination of a separator-frame having a fixed bar and a rocking cross-bar adj acent to its front end, longitudinal separating-tines secured to said fixed cross-bar, longitudinal separating-tines secured to said rocking cross-bar, means for vibrating said separator-frame, and means for rocking said front cross-bar, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination of a separator-frame having a fixed cross-bar and a front cross-bar journaled to rock on said frame, longitudinal separating-tines secured to said fixed and rocking cross-bars, swinging supporting-links for said separator-frame fixed to said front cross-bar, and means for vibrating said separator, whereby said front cross-bar is rocked on said frame, substantially as set forth.

Witness our hands this 16th day of December, 1904.

JACOB J OHEN GEN. EDWARD A. FEDICK. Witnesses:

CHAS. W. PARKER, EDWARD C. 'HAIG. 

